edition-dw-akademie-in-the-service-of-the-public-functions-and-transformation-of-media-in-developing-countries-pdf

Nonetheless, whilst the outlet prides itself on its financial selfsustainability,it recognizes the value of the input, particularlywith regard to training, of the partner organizations. 94 FreedomRadio doesn’t have the financial resources, nor does thesector have the practical resources, to provide quality capacitybuilding measures. The involvement of international partnerstherefore continues to be vital. In particular, training andmentoring of young talent is mentioned, as well as supportwith marketing and networking strategies. 95 In the last segmentof the chapter, we look at what needs to be addressed inorder to enable reform and progress.Transformation ApproachesThe most important reforms that need to be made apply tothe media sector itself, so as to generate a climate more supportiveand encouraging of initiatives and outfits, like FreedomRadio, that can make a valuable contribution to a mediasector in Nigeria that focuses on serving the public.– First and foremost, legislative reforms need to beeither completed or carried through: the Freedom ofInformation Act, the Code of Ethics, the National CommunityRadio Policy and many other half-hearted reformattempts should be reviewed so that they can fulfillthe original objectives.– Repressive legislation such as that on sedition andon criminal defamation should be repealed entirely, sothat journalists are not criminalized unnecessarily.– Legislation governing digitalization needs to beoverhauled and reviewed in collaboration with independentexperts. The Federal Government has beenpostponing the deadline for the switch from analogueto digital for close on a decade now, and “stakeholdersbelieve that the level of awareness concerning this allimportantdate is still abysmally low.” 96 It is feared thatmany media outlets will find the cost more than theycan cope with and that huge segments of the populationwill once again be shut out, particularly from TV viewing,because of the potential cost of new equipment.– Civil society and other stakeholders, such as theNational Union of Journalists (NUJ), professional associations,and industry experts, should become involvedin the process, by establishing an interest groupor a committee. 97– The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Actneeds to be reviewed and the NBC made entirely independentof government, political parties or mediainterests. Political party members and other interestedparties should be banned from seeking a position with-in the NBC. The licensing procedure should be madetransparent, independent and should allow for an appealsprocedure.– Licensing needs to go ahead for the private mediasector, and above all for the community radio sector.– Financing models need to be established that makeit possible for media outfits to be self-sustaining andindependent of commercial imperatives.– Degree courses in the country’s tertiary institutionsneed to be improved and modified to keep up withthe demands of the fast pace of change in the sector.Here, too, there are developments to be supported andencouraged: “The Mass Communication Departmentof Bayero University, Kano (BUK) may soon be transformedinto a school of communication to allow forthe introduction of new degree programs in the fieldof journalism. ... [Head of the Department, Dr BalarabeMaikaba,] said some of the programs to be introducedin the school include degrees in broadcast journalism,print journalism, public relations, media and culture,and development communication.” 98Within Freedom Radio itself – noting that these can at best berecommendations:– Support for the newsroom and its staff through consultancyand training can be improved upon and financingmodels set up specifically for that purpose.– this would probably require more involvement frominternational partners. Investigative reporting – or atthe very least, better research habits – and presentingare the areas particularly mentioned. 99– An improved human resources management strategyis vital. In particular staff – and particularly journalists’– salaries should be better regulated 100 so thatthere is less danger of them going elsewhere once FreedomRadio has trained them to a high standard.– Audience polls and market research could be improvedupon, perhaps in cooperation with the Universityas has been the case in the past.– Journalists should be encouraged to join or formpress associations and to regularly pursue networkingand professional self-improvement activities. Access tothese opportunities can be made much easier via theinternet and social media.194